Hose curing unit



Sept. 10, 1968 P, J, L ISTER ET AL HOSE CURING UNIT Original Filed March2, 1964 :Nm/ross PAUL J. L 1s TER gsxmoa KRYNYTZKY ATTY.

United States Patent O 3,400,427 HOSE CURING UNIT Paul J. Lister, Akron,Ohio, and Alexander Krynytzky,

Bulalo, N.Y., assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N.Y., acorporation of New York Original application Mar. 2, 1964, Ser. No.348,629, now Patent No. 3,241,181, dated Mar. 22, 1966. Divided and thisapplication Sept. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 577,963

6 Claims. (Cl. 18-6) This invention relates to a hose curing apparatusand more particularly to a chuck for a hose curing apparatus. Thisapplication is a division of application Ser. No. 348,629, filed Mar. 2,1964, now Patent No. 3,241,181.

In the manufacture of tubular products such as tire hose, a rubber tubeis encased in one or more plies of fabric. In the case of fire hose, thefabric tubing and the rubber tubing are prepared separately, after whichthe rubber tubing is inserted into the fabric tubing and thereaftervulcanized or cured as a unit. During the curing operation, a curingfluid such as steam under pressure is admitted to the rubber tubingthrough a linearly movable chuck which expands the rubber tubing andfabric tubing into engagement with a mold which contines the lateralexpansion into an oblong shape while simultaneously permittinglongitudinal expansion.

The present invention relates to a novel chuck means which clamps therespective end portions of the hose, which chuck means are movedlinearly in the direction of length of the hose which subjects the hoseto tensioning during the curing operation. The present invention isconcerned with the novel means for chucking the end of a hose,tensioning such hose while permitting the introduction of fluid therein.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and irnproved chuck andwork-holding means for hose in their curing process.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel chucking meanswhich accommodates various sizes of hoses.

With these and other objects in view, as will hereinafter more fullyappear, and which will be more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, reference is now made to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a plan view of the chuck unit showing the jaws in openposition.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the chuck unit.

FIG. 3 is a plan view partly in cross section of the chuck unit taken online 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the chuck unit.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a chuck 1 having an upper andlower plate 8 and 9 respectively connected by spaced cross plates 10 and11. Cross plate 10 has a central bore 12 (FIG. l). An air cylinder 13 issuitably connected to plate 10, with a rod 14 of air cylinder 13extending through the central bore 12. The rod 14 has its outer endportion connected to a bracket 15, which bracket 15 pivotally supportsone end of links 16. The other ends of links 16 are pivotally connectedto a pair of movable jaw blocks 17. The links 16 extend throughsuita-ble slots in plate 11. Lower plate 9 has a pair of verticallyextending spaced guideways 18 which as viewed in FIG. 3 converge towardthe front end portion of the chuck 1 for a purpose to be described.Upper plate 8 has a pair of depending spaced guideways 19 in alignmentwith the converging guideways 18. Each jaw block 17 has a guide member20 mounted on its outer side wall (FIGS. l and 2). Each guide member 20is recessed as at 21 to define a groove between the outer wall of eachjaw block 17 and the adjacent recessed wall surface of the associatedguide member 20 to .thereby guide the respective jaw 3,400,427 PatentedSept. 10, 1968 ICC blocks 17 to work gripping engagement upon movementof the respective jaw blocks 17 towards the forward portion of thechuck 1. Pressurization of the head end of air cylinder 13 extends therod 14 rightward as viewed in FIG. 1 to thereby move the respective jawblocks 17'and their associated guide members 20 rightwardly to the p0-sition shown in FIG. 3 via links 16. Cross plate 11 has an elongatedserrated projection 22 mounted centrally thereon. Projection 22 isoblong in cross section and has a bore 23 extending longitudinallytherethrough which bore 23 has one end communicating with a conduit 24in chuck 1 via which condensate or steam may flow. The other end of bore23 communicates with an opening 25 (FIG. 3), which opening 25 is adaptedto communicate with the bore of a hose clamped in chuck 1. As seen inFIG. 4, the

respective jaw blocks 17 are arcuately recessed as at 26, which recessedportion is serrated to cooperate with the serrated projection 22 toclamp the hose wall therebetween. Lower plate 9 has a pair of spaceddepending brackets 27 (FIG. 4) which support rotatable wheels 28, 28 andwheels 29, 29. As seen in FIG. 4, the wheels 28 ride in grooves 30formed in the framework of the table on which such chuck is reciprocatedwhile wheels 29 guide the chucks 1 in their longitudinal movement onsuch table.

The chuck 1 is connected via connecting members 31 to a piston rod 32(FIG. 3) of a hydraulic cylinder, not shown, which is adapted to stretchthe hose during the process as fully explained in the above-identifiedco-pending application.

In the operation of the chucking apparatus pressurization of the rod endof air cylinder 13 associated with chucks 1 retracts piston rod 14 andsimultaneously therewith moves links 16 leftwardly (as viewed in FIG. 3)therewith along with jaw blocks 17. Guideways 18 direct the outward andbackward movement of jaw blocks 17 in cooperation with the guide members20 whereby the serrated arcuate recesses 26 on the jaw block 17 moveaway from the respective side portions of serrated projection 22substantially to the position shown in FIG. l. One end of a hose is theninserted over projection 22. Pressurization of the head end of aircylinder 13 via a suitable control valve directs pressurized uid from apressure source to such head end of cylinder 13 and operates to move thepiston rod 14 rightwardly as viewed in FIG. 1 to thereby move therespective jaw block 17 and guide members 20 inwardly toward each othervia the converging guideways 18 to the position shown in FIG. 3. Suchrightward movement of jaw blocks 17 moves the respective serratedrecesses 26 into clamping engagement with the end portion of a hose incooperation with the serrated projection 22. The other end portion ofthe hose is inserted into a similar chuck on the other end portion ofthe apparatus and clamped thereto in the same manner as described abovein the clamping action of chuck 1. With the respective ends of the hosesecurely held by the chucks the hose is stretched to the full length viamovement of the chucks in a longitudinal direction away from each other.Steam is introduced via conduit 24 to cure the hose into a finishedproduct. The arcuately shaped contouring on the respective jaw blocks 17facilitates the accommodation of various diameters or sizes of hosewithout requiring a different size projection 22 thereby increasing theefficiency of the apparatus.

Other modifications are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention, as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A holding device for use in vulcanizing hose comprising a support,said support having an elongated projection having a longitudinal centerline, at least a pair of guide means on said support converging towardone end of said support, work engaging means slidably mounted on each ofsaid guide means for reciprocable movement thereon, and means mounted onsaid support operatively connected to said work engaging means formoving said work engaging means into work clamping engagement incooperation with said projection.

2. A holding device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said projection hasa bore extending therethrough communicating with an opening at the lowerportion thereof.

3. A holding device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said projection isconvex in cross section complementary to the arcuately shaped recesseson said Work engaging means to receive and accommodate hoses of varioussizes in diameter.

4. A holding device as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said workengaging means has a recess whose surface is serrated and said recessedserrated surfaces cooperate with said projection to hold a hose adaptedto be inserted over said projection upon actuation of said moving means.

5. A holding device as set forth in claim 4 wherein said projection hasa serrated surface.

6. A holding device for use in vulcanizing hose comprising a supportwith a vertically disposed bracket, a horizontally extending mandrelmounted on said bracket, having one end portion terminating adjacent oneend of said support, said mandrel having a serrated surface and a boreextending longitudinally therethrough terminating into an opening atsaid one end portion, said opening being at the lower end of saidmandrel, a conduit in said 'bracket communicating with said bore forconducting liuid thereto or away therefrom, guide means mounted onopposite sides of said mandrel converging from said bracket toward saidmandrel adjacent said one end of said support, work engaging jawsslidably mounted on said guide means for movement toward and away fromsaid mandrel, means on said support operatively connected to said jawsfor simultaneously reciprocating said jaws forwardly and rearwardly onsaid guide means, and inserts mounted 0n each of said jaws havingconcave serrated surfaces for cooperation with said serrated mandrel togrip a tubular work piece.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1896 Stowe 18-6 1/1917 Baash.

1. A HOLDING DEVICE FOR USE IN VULCANIZING HOSE COMPRISING A SUPPORT,SAID SUPPORT HAVING AN ELONGATED PROJECTION HAVING A LONGITUDINAL CENTERLINE, AT LEAST A PAIR OF GUIDE MEANS ON SAID SUPPORT COVERGING TOWARDONE END OF SAID SUPPORT, WORK ENGAGING MEANS SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON EACH OFSAID GUIDE MEANS FOR RECIPROCABLE MOVEMENT THEREON, AND MEANS MOUNTED ONSAID SUPPORT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID WORK ENGRAGING MEANS FORMOVING SAID WORK ENGAGING MEANS INTO WORK CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT INCOOPERATION WITH SAID PROJECTION.